The Mysterious Lost Child (The Inscrutable Paris Beaufont Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  Paris shook her head as though making a nonverbal movement would strengthen her resolve. She had to do this on her own. It was simply a half-mile walk in a fancy area with probably lots of police forces. She hadn’t felt the violent wind or any other signs of the danger on Roya Lane since coming to Los Angeles, so there was little reason to conclude that she was in trouble right then.

  She took a step forward and paused as if checking the universe to see if it struck back after she decided to proceed without help. Nothing happened.

  Letting out a steadying breath, Paris took another step and another, picking up her pace as she continued down the manicured sidewalk.

  Pausing at an intersection, Paris nearly laughed, thinking how silly she’d been to worry she was in danger. All the new meetings and information was making her paranoid. This evil villain who had killed Charlotte apparently knew to look for Paris on Roya Lane, but that didn’t necessarily mean it would know to follow her to Los Angeles. The world was a very large place.

  When it was her turn to cross, Paris stepped out into the intersection, hearing a strange sound. Since she’d never been in a large city or any city at all, Paris figured the noise was normal, like an ambulance. It sounded like a train going by overhead. The noise was everywhere and drummed in her chest like a bass drum. It vibrated the pavement under her feet.

  That’s not what unnerved Paris the most. It was the reaction of those on the streets around her. People looked around with fearful expressions on their faces.

  “What is that?” Paris heard someone ask in an urgent rush.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” another stated.

  Many turned their faces to the sky as if expecting aliens to crash down and invade Beverly Hills. Some started to run as if they’d spotted the source of the noise, which was growing louder.

  Paris decided that this wasn’t a normal thing in the city and took off, running as fast as possible. Maybe it wasn’t the danger from Roya Lane, she reasoned. She hoped it was a different threat that she could outrun or wasn’t coming after her at all.

  Using a spell to enhance her speed, Paris easily passed the others on the street, although she didn’t like the idea of leaving them behind to face whatever was the source of the noise. Still, she had to get to the half-mile mark. She figured it wasn’t that far ahead.

  To her relief, the noise died down as though she was getting far enough away. Also about the same time, all the people who had been strolling down the sidewalk disappeared. The sun seemed to go down instantly, casting everything in darkness.

  Paris didn’t speed up, but she noticed how the yards with mansions that she passed all suddenly appeared like haunted houses. Then the chilly, cutting wind hit her in the back and nearly threw her to the ground. Paris couldn’t deny it any longer. The evil from Roya Lane was after her, and she didn’t know how to fight it. Without the protective charm, she feared it could take her down. All she had as an option now was to hope she got to the half-mile mark before the monster got to her.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Throwing up her hand, Paris projected a portal, hoping that it opened in the distance, meaning that she was close to the half-mile mark. The good news was that it did. The bad news was that it was still twenty yards away.

  The worse news was that the train noise overhead had returned, and it was deafening now. The roar was so loud it made Paris’ teeth chatter, and her eyes water like it was taking over her body from the inside out.

  Her feet moved fast on the pavement, but she didn’t think it was quick enough. She felt like the wind had already caught her in a net and was about to grab her.

  Everything was moving by her so fast on the sidewalk that it all looked like a blur. Which was weird when Paris could have sworn that she saw a black and white cat simply sitting on the curb, looking at her nonchalantly as she passed in a mad rush to save her life.

  She would have dismissed the strange animal precariously positioned in a weird place, but it seemed to give her a look of reassurance. That’s when she realized that she was losing her mind.

  The portal was only ten yards away. So close—and still so far away as the roar of the train-like monster bore down on her. The wind overhead started to spiral like a helicopter’s rotor wash, sending her hair every which way. She felt something resembling arms wrap around her.

  Then the voice seemed to speak from inside her.

  “Finally,” it whispered darkly, a ravenous yearning in its essence.

  Paris pushed forward harder but instantly felt something tug her backward. The sensation was like hands grabbing her by the shoulders, holding her in place. Her feet moved, but she remained in the same position as if she was on a treadmill—like she was in a bad dream. The harder she pushed, the more she ran, the more she stayed in the same place.

  Paris screamed in frustration and fear, wishing she’d made a different decision. Wishing she knew what had hold of her. That’s when she decided to face the nightmare holding her in place and turned to look at the monster. It was definitely a monster, but unlike anything she’d ever seen.

  What held her didn’t have hands or a body or anything else human as far as she could tell. It was simply a cloud of black. Despite it looking undefinable, what it made her feel wasn’t—dread. Never before had Paris felt more despondent than she did at that moment. Wars waged in her. Sadness ran rampant. Her spirits were buried in the true gloom of a hell that she never knew and realized was the reality of the world around her. Paris suddenly felt she’d never be the same. That the world as she knew it was over. That every day would be torture if the sun ever rose again.

  The black monster opened its mouth of smoke and torture—or that was what it seemed. Its tendrils wrapped around her arms and pulled her back, not just holding her in place. Paris knew what would happen next—the beast would suck her in. She’d be swallowed whole and gone forever.

  Unsure what to do next, Paris sent out a simple plea to whoever could hear it. “Please help me,” she whispered to the wind as the darkness neared, covering everything she could see.

  Paris was certain she’d feel death next. Or the absence of feeling. Nothingness. That she’d die and who knew what would happen then.

  Instead, she dropped to the pavement as if she’d fallen from a great distance. She landed on her feet and promptly fell to her tailbone and rocked back before popping up on her feet again.

  Paris couldn’t believe it. The blackness disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. The roaring noise ceased so abruptly that she felt deaf. The lights in the houses and the street grew brighter until the road felt normal and not like it was seconds away from being pulled into a nightmare.

  Standing squarely in the middle of the sidewalk was the black and white cat, with a strangely knowing expression on its face. The black monster was gone, but Paris had a feeling that she shouldn’t push her luck. It wouldn’t be gone for long.

  Giving the bizarre cat one last look, unsure whether to thank it or run from it, Paris turned and dared to put her back to the animal. She hurried down the sidewalk, making for the portal in a few seconds—grateful when it swallowed her whole, taking her to Happily Ever After College where she was safe once more.

  Chapter Forty

  Paris was breathless, sweat dripping from her brow and her heart racing when she stumbled through the portal to the charming and secure grounds of Happily Ever After College. It almost seemed too silly to think something was awful out in the world when she looked at the pristine, idyllic manor before her and the Enchanted Grounds.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the portal that had closed straight away and knew that the evil she’d experienced in Beverly Hills wasn’t a dream. Somewhere out in the world—and thankfully, far enough away that it couldn’t get her at fairy godmother college—was a danger so dark and evil that it wanted to swallow her whole.

  Why? she wondered. Also, equally perplexing, what had rescued her when death seemed so imminent? Was it the strange black an
d white cat? Or something else? One thing was certain. She wasn’t leaving Happily Ever After College unless she had protection, and when she did, she’d be much more careful with it—not allowing some dragonrider thug to get it from her.

  Paris regarded the estate before her, grateful to be back after all her adventures. She’s met her Uncle Clark and his wife, Aunt Alicia. She’d ridden in a car and seen a dragon. However, one of her favorite parts was Sophia. How could Sophia, the small and unassuming but confident leader of the Rogue Riders, not be her favorite part of the strangest and most awesome afternoon of her entire life?

  Paris remembered that before she’d realized she’d lost the protective charm that she meant to call Uncle John. It would be late on Roya Lane. It was late at Happily Ever After College, and the sun would soon rise for another day of perfect weather. Paris decided she’d save the call for the morning, after she’d gotten some sleep and time to process all of the amazing things she’d seen and learned.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Paris awoke to a strange tapping on her forehead. If she weren’t so exhausted and hadn’t registered that the source of the pestering had a fluffy tail stretched over her head, she would have assaulted it.

  Peeling open one eye, she regarded Faraday sitting on her chest with a beyond-annoyed expression. “Why is it that you woke up this morning and decided you wanted me to kill you?” she muttered, still unable to open both eyes all the way.

  A tinging noise vaguely registered as the squirrel flicked his tail and hopped off her onto the bedside table. She followed him with her gaze, noticing that beside him was the fairy alarm clock, which made the chiming noise and threw pixie dust into the air.

  “I have no desire to perish today,” Faraday chirped. “It’s just that your alarm has been going off for a half-hour, and I thought you were the one who had perished since you hadn’t awoken.”

  Paris bolted upright. “It has? Am I late for class?”

  He shook his head matter-of-factly. “By my calculations, with your bare minimum morning routine, you’ll still make it down to breakfast on time even after waking up late. I’ve even factored in a few minutes in case today is the day you decide to brush your hair.”

  Paris rolled her eyes. “Why start today or mess with perfection?” She ran her hands through her wavy blonde hair, which probably could use a washing more than brushing.

  “Seems that you had an adventure,” Faraday observed, watching as Paris attempted to get out of bed, feeling less rested than she would have liked.

  “Why? Because you were following me?” Paris stretched and willed her blood to start flowing.

  “I wasn’t following you.” He sounded offended.

  “Oh, then what did you do last night?” she asked.

  “Research,” he answered simply. “And you?”

  “The same. That dragon was something else, wasn’t it?”

  He shook his head, looking disappointed with her. “I wasn’t following you. But I would have liked to have seen one. What kind was it?”

  “A blue one,” she dryly retorted while trying to find some clean clothes in her drawers, which was difficult with Faraday’s constant rearranging. “Would you stop messing with my clothes?”

  “They happen to be in my bed,” he countered.

  “Which is in my drawers,” she fired back. “I thought you were going to take the sock drawer.”

  “I’m trying out a few to discover which one is the most conducive for the best sleep.”

  “Why don’t you find one before I discover which instrument is the most conducive for murdering you efficiently?”

  “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” he teased and scurried over to the windowsill.

  “Someone woke up with a squirrel on their chest,” she muttered, finally finding some clothes that would work. They were her usual uniform basics that the college had thankfully furnished although she refused to wear the blue gown. They could have forced her into it by withholding clean jeans and black t-shirts, but they didn’t.

  “So, are you going to tell me what happened when you were gone?” Faraday asked.

  “I met my family, and they told me nothing of any use about who I am or my parents.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” he said sensitively.

  She nodded while looking out the window where the sun was rising over the Enchanted Grounds. “It is. They seem to be wonderful people who love me…loved me. I want to know more about them even if I don’t know more about the secrets.”

  “I gather you’d like to know both,” Faraday offered.

  “I really would. But I get that it will take time so I’m not going to be some whiny girl who cries because my life was a lie, and it’s slow going to uncover the truth. I’ll keep following the clues.”

  “I respect that attitude,” Faraday said proudly. “It seems you don’t have to rush to discover the truth.”

  “Oh, I forgot to mention that some shadowy black thing nearly killed me by trying to suck out my soul.” Paris made for the door, desperately wanting a shower.

  “I feel like you should have led with that part,” Faraday stated tersely.

  She turned her head to smirk over her shoulder. “Here I thought you were following me and already knew about the monster and the strange black and white cat.”

  “Black and white cat, you say?” Faraday asked. “You saw a cat?”

  She turned to face him directly and tipped her head. “Yeah. Why does that interest you?”

  “No reason,” Faraday said at once. “Just seems strange. That’s like saying you saw Godzilla attacking a city and a mouse scurrying through the streets. Like, one is of supreme interest, and the other doesn’t seem worth mentioning or noteworthy.”

  “Yeah, I guess I see what you mean.” For some reason, she thought that wasn’t altogether true, and Faraday was unnerved by the mention of the cat. “I had the impression that the black and white cat saved me, but I was sleep-deprived and running for my life, so I was probably hallucinating.”

  “Probably,” Faraday muttered, looking out the window.

  “What are you doing today?” she asked. “More research?”

  “It’s Tuesday!” he chirped excitedly as if that should mean something to her.

  “I do love Taco Tuesday,” she joked.

  He shook his head. “I prefer sandwiches.”

  “I don’t think Sandwich Saturday has the same ring to it.”

  “It should be a thing,” he declared. “Tuesday is when the Serenity Garden is off-limits.”

  “So, like a mischievous squirrel, you’re going to go and investigate it then?” she inquired.

  “Naturally, and not to be mischievous but simply to resolve the mystery,” he stated.

  “Just like you came here to Happily Ever After College,” Paris observed. “You simply have to go where you’re not supposed to, don’t you?”

  “Says the girl who was outside the college all night after being told it was dangerous,” he countered.

  “Touché,” she mumbled, thinking that she’d need another protective charm before she could venture out again, which definitely needed to happen.

  “Well, will you do me a favor and when you leave the college again on your family history investigations, please let me know?” Faraday asked.

  “Why?”

  “Because that way a black and white cat doesn’t have to watch your back.” He flicked his tail. “Or whatever saved you from the monster.”

  She laughed, not expecting him to say this. “You think you could have saved me from the black soul-eating beast?”

  The squirrel shrugged. “Probably not, but at least I could be there to help. Two heads are better than one, and I’m good at thinking my way out of things.”

  Paris considered the squirrel for a moment. He was asking to go on missions with her, knowing that something deathly was pursuing her. For some reason, that spoke more about his loyalty to her than making her skeptical about his moti
ves. “Yeah, sure, Faraday. I’m off to get ready. Have fun investigating and try to stay out of trouble.”

  “As always, same to you, Paris.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Paris only had one thing for breakfast, and she had a lot of it. Coffee.

  She was grateful that she’d managed to put herself together and make it to her Art of Love class on time after only a couple of hours of sleep. Since there were no open seats at the back of the room, it forced her to take one in the front row.

  Headmistress Starr looked up at her from her front desk with a polite smile on her face. She was writing a note with a quill pen as if she’d jumped out of the 1800s. “You okay, Paris?”

  Stifling a yawn, Paris nodded. “I was up late.”

  Maybe respecting her privacy or perhaps assuming that she’d been busy investigating her past, Willow simply nodded, rose to her feet, and looked around at everyone. “Good morning, class. Yesterday we discussed the famous romantic comedy Sabrina. Studying romantic movies, books, and poetry teaches us about the art of love and how two people can fall for one another. However, it’s important to note that sometimes—actually, most of the time—two people don’t simply meet and it’s love at first sight. Most of the time, there’s something that serves as an obstacle to keep them apart. In the case of the movie Sabrina, it was Linus being a workaholic and Sabrina’s desire to flee back to Paris, which she deemed safe since that’s where she was once happy.”

  The headmistress picked up the quill on her desk and twirled it. “Today’s lesson is a little less cheerful but just as important. Although love ballads tell us about how people feel when in love, it’s equally important to understand how they feel when love doesn’t work out whether unrequited, lost, or missed.”